chapter 104
The dead talk a lot (1)
Rize said with a puzzled expression.
“dad. I think I went to the swordsmanship tournament for no reason.”
“… … .”
Rize expressed negative feelings about the tournament to the extent that she wondered if she was the child who demanded additional participation in front of the emperor.
Well, when I heard the reason for doing this, I thought it was Rize-like.
“Everyone I meet just talks about the swordsmanship competition. I don’t think it’s great, but everyone says it’s really great. My dad is so much better than me, huh.”
It seemed that he was very uncomfortable with the sudden attention of people pouring only on himself.
Rize, who was grumbling, immediately looked at me and pouted again.
“I think Dad should have participated in the cooking contest.”
“Dad doesn’t have the confidence to win.”
“No, Dad’s cooking is so delicious. He must have won.”
“I’m glad Rize said that, but… … Even if I won, everyone would be busy just looking at Rize, right?”
Rize, who couldn’t refute my words, only puffed out her cheeks and pursed her lips even more.
It’s admirable to want to put myself ahead of myself, but I always wanted to support Rize from behind.
What am I going to do with people’s attention?
As long as our Rize went well, that was enough for me.
“Oh, then, Dad, how about this?”
He turned his head to me as if he had suddenly thought of a good idea, then smiled and said a word.
“My dad is going to school with me. Then other people will know that you are amazing, right?”
“Dad can’t go to school with me because he’s old.”
“Then you can come as a teacher! oh, that would be better Even if I learn, I want to learn from Dad.”
“Dad is not qualified to become a professor. Schreid professors are all wonderful people, so you will learn a lot from meeting them.”
In my previous life, when I became a professor at Schreid, I had to prepare for quite a long time.
You had to have a track record, you had to have a career in education, and you needed connections with nobles.
It was a fun experience, but I didn’t want to do it again.
In particular, since I had almost no connections among professors, I had no choice but to be responsible for the dissatisfaction poured out by halfway aristocrats.
My teeth still tremble when I think of the aftermath.
Wait, I think there was a familiar face among the nobles watching the swordsmanship tournament.
But I shook my head to erase those thoughts.
The reason Rize brought up such stories was because I was about to go out, not because of anything else.
As always, I patted Rize’s head, who was trying to grab me even a little bit, and said.
“Then Dad will be gone for a while, so Irina and I look after the house. If a suspicious person breaks in, do as Dad said.”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Be careful not to catch a cold. Should I sleep warm all the time?”
“Okay, I’ll cover you with a blanket.”
“Drink a lot of water. Rize especially sweats a lot while training.”
“Yeah, it’s okay because I plan to replenish water.”
No matter how much I say it, I was laying out the details, and Irina, who was waiting behind me, forcibly pushed me out.
It’s like a knife only when it’s really like this.
“Dad, I’ll be back soon!”
“Yes, I will be waiting for you!”
After saying goodbye to Rize in tears, I turned around and met someone’s eyes.
“… … I’m sorry for the uproar in the morning.”
“Ho-ho, no. I always think of them as good-looking women.”
Until Irina came, it was Dahlia next door who owed a lot to her.
It’s not like we haven’t seen each other since then, but we still say hello often, invite to meals several times, and when we cook a lot, we share them.
“Ah, I see, I heard it. I heard that Rize won the swordsmanship competition. Sorry for the late congratulations.”
“No, thank you for just the words. It must have been noisy because of that, but I’m sorry.”
I don’t have it now, but right after the victory, it was difficult because there were people who came to my house, probably because of the fever.
It was resolved amicably because Douglas stepped forward, but if Irina had stepped forward, there would have been ugly rumors going around.
Still, it was true that there was a commotion, so I bowed my head and apologized.
“Oh, it’s okay. It’s a family event, so it shouldn’t be that noisy. Rize must be very proud?”
“Yes, of course. Of course I used to think I was going to win, but it’s so good that I can’t express it.”
“Because I really envy you. I heard that you have already been recommended for admission to Schreid School. How talented you are, really.”
“Still, I’m worried that you haven’t given up on becoming a mercenary yet.”
In response to my answer, Dahlia laughed happily and added a few words.
“I have to think that I love my father that much. oh look at my mind I’m on my way to work and I’m so caught up. Let’s go.”
“hahahaha, when I come back, I’ll invite you to a meal to celebrate Rize’s victory.”
After saying goodbye, I parted ways with Dahlia and started walking again.
Currently, the place I am heading to is the Mercenary Guild.
Upon entering, the first thing I saw was a group of people talking loudly at a table set to one side, as if there was a large-scale request.
Ignoring them, I went to the reception desk, where Daisy was busy sorting through papers, sometimes writing something, and seemed so distracted that she didn’t even know I was there.
I could have waited, but I thought I should talk first, so I lightly tapped on the reception desk and spoke.
“Are you very busy?”
“yes? Ah, Mr. Irvin. Today, I am quite busy… … .”
Daisy, who had been looking at the papers that did not shrink at all with cloudy eyes, soon shook her head and came to her senses.
“Still, I haven’t received a single nomination request or special request from Mr. Irvin, and there is no request that the branch manager has left out. For quests related to grade maintenance, please use the bulletin board over there, and if you want to upgrade… … .”
“I didn’t come here for that reason, so could you calm down a bit? Hmmm, actually I have to tell the branch manager, but maybe I should tell Daisy too.”
I wanted Daisy to know that I was considerate of her, even though Daisy was staring at me with such strained eyes that she was trying to say something else.
Daisy’s eyes widened at my continued words, as if that wind had passed.
“Has there been a request to investigate the ruins of the Jisat Royal Castle? Do you think there will be no applicants yet?”
“… … .”
Daisy, who had stopped moving, seemed to have forgotten how to breathe for a while, then exhaled heavily and spoke together.
“How on earth do you know that, and continue to amaze me like this?”
“Your feet are so wide. so? Should I go to the branch manager?”
“I might be able to handle it… … Since it’s Mr. Irvin, you’d better stop by once. You must be busy working in the office, so go. I’m too busy right now, so I can’t guide you.”
“OK got it. thanks for your effort.”
Apparently, the guild itself was busy.
As soon as I moved inside and arrived in front of the office, I knocked on the door, and I heard a voice from inside asking me to come in without checking who it was.
When I went inside, the Cornwell branch manager was diligently reviewing the papers on the desk, and he didn’t even look at me when I came in.
Ah, at first glance, you seem to have lost some weight.
He waited a moment, but Cornwell was still struggling with the papers on his desk. It seemed that he answered reflexively and forgot about it.
I couldn’t wait that long, so I went over to the desk and called out to Cornwell, tapping the desk as I had done with Daisy.
“Cornwell Branch Manager, you must be very busy.”
“hmm? Alas, no. When did you come?”
“It came right away. I have something to tell you.”
“You’re not saying you’re taking a leave of absence again, are you? I’m proud I haven’t done anything lately that you might dislike.”
I came to talk, but I don’t know if I’m being too vigilant.
Now you don’t have to hang on to me too much. Seeing that there was so much work, it was clear at a glance what the current situation of the Findel branch was.
Without pointing it out, I quickly put the matter into my mouth.
“Don’t you need people in the ruins of the Jisat Castle?”
“Are you going to go? Are you saying you know what it is like there now?”
The nobleman, who would normally have been happy to do so, lightly left a warning.
It wasn’t that I didn’t understand that reaction. Especially since I was famous for only using a sword.
As I was just staring at it, Cornwell opened a drawer, rummaged through it, and placed a piece of paper on the desk.
“It is undead. Even so, we can’t send a mercenary who can’t use magic there.”
The undead were literally those who died once and then came back to life.
There were not only monsters, but also humans. No, it was only classified as a non-human monster when revived.
Most undead are irrational, driven only by hatred for the living and want to make them their allies.
It was a body that had died once, so it moved even if an arm or leg was cut off, and sometimes it moved even if its head was cut off.
It was known that ghost-type monsters that appeared occasionally, though not particularly often, could not be slashed with physical attacks.
The only thing that could definitely put an end to those guys was magic or divine power.
Holy power was originally a power specialized for dealing with those guys, and magic could not purify the undead like holy power, but it was still able to inflict sufficient damage.
Since I couldn’t use either of those powers and said I was going to deal with the undead, it was only natural to block them.
“Of course I will bring some holy water. And isn’t it still an investigation, not a subjugation? I know I can do enough.”
“Sniff, that’s right, but… … .”
Cornwell looked unwilling, but as if he had made up his mind, he opened the drawer again and this time placed a blank piece of paper on the desk.
Then, he quickly moved his pen to scrawl something, stamped it, dried it, folded it neatly, and held it out toward me.
“If necessary, go to any church and ask for support. If you become undead, terrible things will happen, so I hope nothing happens.”
“If I were to leave Rize and become undead, I would resurrect. Don’t worry. I don’t know if I’ll write a letter of introduction, but I’ll be grateful.”
With that said, I put the letter of introduction into my bosom, and Cornwell waved his hand back and forth, looking down at the pile of papers as if he were telling me to do whatever he wanted.
After leaving the office, I left the office with a satisfied smile as I had achieved my goal.
Now that I have received permission… … You could now legally claim your loot.
* * *
What unfolded before my eyes was literally ruins.
The surrounding terrain gave the impression that it had been twisted for a long time, and that it was mixed, and there were even remnants that seemed to be traces of the castle wall spread all over the place.
What was visible beyond it was a part of a huge castle that must have been magnificent.
This was the capital of what was once called the Jisat Kingdom, and the place where the splendid royal castle was located.
Now, the castle has collapsed and the terrain has been distorted, leaving only traces of it in ruins.
Above all, this area is characterized by… … The ground itself was dead.
Passeuk.
When I jumped off the horse, I felt the sensation of stepping on sand or soil.
No matter what you plant on the black dead ground, it will never grow. Even if it rains, it will flow without pooling, corpses that have rotted once will rot again, and even sunlight will not be able to exert its power.
It was literally called the land of the dead, so it was natural for the undead to appear.
Before going further inside, I roughly sent the horse back. If you’re lucky, you might meet them on the way back.
In fact, it was amazing that he even came this far, so I gave him a parting gift with a sack full of roasted beans tied around his neck.
As soon as I sent the words and tried to enter the ruins, the ground immediately stirred and the white bones rattled and raised themselves up.
Well, I brought holy water, but I didn’t have to use it against a guy like this.
“Once… … Shall I crush Shall I blow it up?”
I said so and transformed Aculium into a giant hammer.